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| Llamani Beach in Himarë Municipality, photo by LSA |
The black waters discharged into the sea and the lack of investment damage the development of coastal tourism in Albania, while Albanian beaches do not have any "Blue Flag," an international quality certification enjoyed by elite coastal tourism destinations.
The once pleasant aroma of pine trees has been replaced by the foul smell of black water discharge at the point near Konvaleshence in Durrës, which is located between "Shkëmbi i Kavajës" and "Plepa." Piles of waste also float through the polluted water, damaging the environment and businesses along the coastline in this area.
Built for rainwater collection in the Shkozet-Arapaj area, the canal now serves for illegal discharge of polluted water. According to the National Environmental Agency, it is one of the sources of pollution on the coast of Durrës, local media reports.
"The monitoring stations where high values of microbial pollution have been recorded during 2022 in Durrës are Plepat station after the canal and Shkëmbi i Kavajës," said the NEA.
Water quality is the most important criterion for obtaining the internationally recognized "Blue Flag" certification - which confirms whether a beach, port, or marina meets the highest quality standards. However, despite being presented in 2008, Albania is the only country in Europe that does not have any "Blue Flag" for its beaches.
Among them is the lack of a standard for monitoring water quality throughout the calendar year.
"Inspections in Albania are carried out once a year and this is insufficient, as to obtain certification, a minimum of 20 tests at different times was required," she added.
"The Blue Flag" is an international certification that confirms that a beach, port or marina meets the highest quality standards. The idea for creating this certification model began in 1987 after the European Commission accepted a proposal from the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe (FEEE), initiated by a children's initiative in France.
In Albania, the Blue Flag was introduced in 2008 by the World Bank and the United Nations to include it in the coastal tourism project - however, no government has been able to implement the program on Albanian beaches.
Metaj told BIRN that the non-negotiable criteria for obtaining certification are the quality of seawater and infrastructure for accommodating people with different needs, adding that so far there has also been a lack of interest from businesses.
"The lack of information about Albania is the main obstacle to certifying beaches, as businesses are not clear about what the Blue Flag is and fear financial costs," Metaj said.
"Few beach businesses and few areas are interested in meeting the criteria and most are deterred by the conditions for ongoing water quality testing," she added.
Recent reports from the National Environmental Agency reveal that Albanian beaches have continuously had problems with the cleanliness of seawater. The main cause is the black water that flows into channels and rivers, as well as the lack of processing plants.
Some of the main coastal municipalities such as Durres, Saranda, and Vlora have plants for processing polluted water, however, some of the beaches still show high microbial composition.
The National Environmental Agency, AKM, says that since 2020 it has notified local authorities of pollution in 6 different points along the coast; two in Durrës, two in Vlora, and two in Saranda. High levels of pollution have been detected at the Plepave and Shkëmbin stations in Durrës, at the "Marine School" and "New Beach" stations in Vlora, as well as near the "Grand" and "Çuka Canal" hotels in Saranda.
AKM also added that it has recommended immediate measures to be taken by municipalities for these hotspots. However, some of the municipalities stated that they did not receive the recommendation, while others complained that they did not have sewage treatment plants.
The Municipality of Saranda told BIRN that it did not receive a recommendation from AKM for 2022, even though the hotspots have not changed for years.
In the coastal city of Durrës, the Regional Water Supply-Sewerage Company says it has plans for at least some of the coastal areas under its control.
The Municipality of Kavaja has a treatment plant, but has had problems with the certification and operation of the plant. Currently, Kavaja is also without a treatment plant, leading to the discharge of untreated wastewater along the coast.
The Municipality of Vlora did not respond to a request for information, while the Municipality of Fier, one of the largest in the country and with a coastline, told BIRN that it does not have facilities for treating polluted water. In addition to Fier, the municipalities of Divjaka and Kurbin also lack facilities for treating polluted water.
The Municipality of Himara said it has a plant, but some villages discharge untreated wastewater into the canals that flow into the sea, without undergoing treatment.
The Law on Integrated Water Resources Management prohibits the discharge of untreated urban and industrial wastewater into the sea, but the law is not being enforced by institutions and subjects.
Regional offices of the National Territorial Protection Inspectorate say in an official response that they have not identified violators, referring to verifications of beach stations. The National Water Agency admitted that there are black water discharges on the coast of the municipalities of Fier and Divjake, but these subjects are not fined because they operate as seasonal beach stations.
Environmental expert Lavdosh Ferruni says this pollution has been disregarded by local and central authorities and also blames poorly planned or incomplete investments.
"The main reasons why Albania has not yet been able to stop the discharge of polluted water into the sea are due to the neglect of this pollution by municipalities, as well as incomplete investments and lack of control over the implementation of these investments," Ferruni told BIRN.
According to the environmental expert, the Ministry of Tourism and Environment is also responsible, which should pressure the government to consider infrastructure for the cleanliness of Albanian beaches a priority.